The big story

The Timberwolves have been called a dark horse in the Western Conference so many times that it’s hard to consider them a dark horse anymore. But, for a franchise that has not been in the playoffs since 2004, there is reason for excitement.

It starts with star forward Kevin Love, who signed a four-year, $60 million contract extension last season that keeps him in Minnesota—then proved to be worth it by averaging 26.0 points and 13.3 rebounds, earning an All-Star spot and a place on the Olympic team. Love is the cornerstone that the Timberwolves have been looking for since they traded Kevin Garnett five years ago, and Love will be an MVP candidate for years to come.

The Wolves envision a future inside-outside star combo involving Love and much-hyped point guard Ricky Rubio, who made a splashy debut as a rookie last season. Rubio’s scoring numbers were, as expected, lacking (10.6 points, 35.7 percent shooting), but he proved to be an adept floor leader, averaging 8.2 assists. His defense was stellar, too, as he showed good fundamentals and averaged 2.2 steals.

With Rubio running new coach Rick Adelman’s offense, the Timberwolves had a good start last season, but they crumbled after Rubio went down with a knee injury. The team quickly fell out of playoff contention and went 5-20 without Rubio in the lineup.

Having played a year under Adelman, the Wolves had time to evaluate some of their young players and figure out where the holes are. Gone are Wesley Johnson and Michael Beasley, but they won’t be missed much. The Timberwolves signed shooting guard Brandon Roy, who came out of retirement after repeated knee problems, and are hopeful that he can recapture some semblance of his former ability. They also signed veteran small forward Andrei Kirilenko, who is coming back to the NBA after playing in Russia last year. Wing Chase Budinger gives the Timberwolves a much-needed 3-point threat, and center Greg Stiemsma adds depth to the frontcourt. The Wolves also landed Russian rookie guard Alexey Shved, who is 23 and has high upside.

Ultimately, it is still the Love and Rubio show in Minnesota, and how those two develop will determine the Timberwolves’ fortunes. But this is a deep, experienced team that is primed to make a playoff charge.

Keep an eye on

The Timberwolves finally stopped forcing Darko Milicic into a starting role he could not handle last season, and that worked out well because the team had another center from a former Yugoslav republic—Montenegro native Nikola Pekovic—who was most definitely ready to start. Pekovic was the first pick in the second round of the ’08 draft, and after he played limited minutes two years ago, he had his breakthrough last season, averaging 13.9 points and 7.4 rebounds while shooting 56.4 percent.

That was in just 26.9 minutes per game. On a 36-minute-per-game basis, Pekovic averaged 18.5 points and 9.9 rebounds. He remained something of a secret weapon only because his contribution was obscured by Rubio’s arrival and because the Timberwolves were not a playoff team.

Part of the reason they were not a playoff team was that Pekovic was dealing with a bad ankle and wound up missing 19 games. That’s something that bears watching this season—big guys with ankle troubles are always reason to raise the caution flag. Pekovic had surgery to remove bone spurs from his right ankle in May, but he also had problems with his left ankle, though that may have been a matter of overcompensating for the other injury.

Pekovic is coming into the season having lost weight and saying he is 100 percent back from the surgery. He is the ideal complement to Love inside, so the Timberwolves will watch his health closely.

Strategy session

Coach Rick Adelman’s ball-sharing offense was a welcome change from the triangle that Kurt Rambis had been running. Even though the Timberwolves played fast last year—they ranked fourth overall in pace (an estimated 93.3 possessions per 48 minutes)—they played more under control in the halfcourt and upped their efficiency in doing so.

But the problem for this team remains defense, something that has never been a strength for Adelman. The Timberwolves can and will put up high-scoring games, especially now that they have ironed out the roster and have established a more straightforward rotation. They are not going to cash in on their potential, though, unless they get much better on the defensive end.

They have had particular problems guarding pick-and-rolls, and a healthy Rubio should improve them in that area. Love has gotten better as a defender and does not get pushed around in the post as easily, but for Adelman, the defensive wildcard will be Kirilenko. He can play either forward spot and is an excellent shot blocker. Finding a way to get Kirilenko in the paint, where he can intimidate penetrators, will be a key to making this defense better.

Outside view (from a Western Conference scout)

“Rick Adelman’s offense is not really complicated, but what it does is, it requires that you have a lot of time working with each other so you really get a feel for what your teammates want and how to read the defense and what your reactions should be. They did not have that last year, and I also don’t think they had a whole lot of high-IQ kind of guys. So even though they were playing better, you give them more time to work together, more practice time, more of a chance for Rick to put in his wrinkles in his offense, they’re going to be that much better.”

Inside view (from Kevin Love)

“I like what we have brought in. I think this team, as we are, if everybody is healthy, we should be in the playoffs and should be able to play for a long time. Guys like Andrei and Chase and everyone, we have veterans here who want to win.

“I’m not saying our locker room was divided that last season, but for some guys they had a date circled on their calendar. It wasn’t the one that said this is going to be our first day of the playoffs; it was ‘Oh, this is the day I get to go home.’ I don’t think we have any guys on our team like that this year.”

Our view

It’s time for the playoff payoff for the Timberwolves. For years, they have been scrounging up draft picks, trying to slough off a few poor decisions and attempting to build a team around Love that can be a factor in the Western Conference. Now, it finally looks like they will get there. Much depends on the health of Rubio and Pekovic, but if those two come back strong, with the addition of the veterans they signed this summer, the Timberwolves should have the depth to crack the top eight in the West.

Projected rotation

The moves the Timberwolves made in the offseason left the roster with two attributes it has sorely lacked in recent years: depth and experience. Minnesota will have to weather the injury to Rubio, who might not return until early January, but the Wolves now have the kind of tested players who should be able to handle that.